Analyzing the Effects of Produced Water on Asphaltene Deposition in a Vertical Production Tubing

The reduction of asphaltene deposition flux in a production tubing, caused by produced water, is studied by an engineering modeling approach. Two phenomena, which according to our analysis have the most significant potential to reduce the asphaltene deposition, are considered. First, decreasing the asphaltene concentration in a hydrocarbon fluid due to the asphaltene absorption on droplet surfaces is estimated. Second, it is considered that droplets colliding with a pipe wall partially block the surface area available for asphaltene deposition, which in return reduces the deposition flux. The fraction of the pipe wall surface dynamically coated with water droplets is calculated from analyzing the wall bombardment by droplets fluctuating in a turbulent flow. The results reveal that the asphaltene deposition flux is not very influenced by the decrease due to the asphaltene absorption on droplet surfaces or the droplet-pipe wall interaction.